Vancouver's Noel Fisher promises 'epic' finale to Twilight franchise

Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press11.15.2012

Canadian actor Noel Fisher is shown in this undated handout photo. The massive movie juggernaut that is the "Twilight" saga concludes with a sprawling finale that is epic in every way, promises Canadian actor Noel Fisher. The Vancouver-bred performer is among dozens of new cast members who appear in the crowning instalment ‚Äî "Breaking Dawn: Part 2" ‚Äî which introduces the vampire incarnation of heroine Bella Swan and her half-vampire daughter Renesmee. THE CANADAIN PRESS/HO

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TORONTO - The massive movie juggernaut that is the "Twilight" saga concludes with a sprawling finale that is epic in every way, promises Canadian actor Noel Fisher.

The Vancouver-bred performer is among dozens of new cast members who appear in the crowning instalment — "Breaking Dawn: Part 2" — which introduces the vampire incarnation of heroine Bella Swan and her half-vampire daughter Renesmee.

Fisher plays a 3,000-year-old Romanian blood-sucker who gets drawn into Bella's battle with the ruling Volturi, who deem Renesmee's existence as a violation of vampire law.

"It's definitely, obviously, the biggest thing I've ever been part of — by a lot," Fisher says by phone from Los Angeles.

"There's nothing else like this, really. It's a cultural phenomenon, that's the only way to put it."

Fan fervour for "Twilight" appeared as frenzied as ever this week as stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner criss-crossed the globe for red carpet premieres dominated by screaming devotees.

The franchise made instant stars of the good-looking trio, while turning Stewart and Pattinson into tabloid staples.

Fisher admits he was initially intimidated by the prospect of joining the high-profile cast but says he found everyone on set to be "really grounded." He salutes Pattinson and Stewart as being easy-going, welcoming castmates.

"They can be these big figures if you read... all these magazines," he says.

"But they're just people. They're really, really lovely people. Robert has a really great sense of humour, so does Kristen. (They're) constantly joking around and laughing on set. Same with Taylor, Peter Facinelli, Kellan (Lutz). Everyone is just really, really lovely."

Other Canadians in the cast include Daniel Cudmore as the Volturi vampire Felix and Cameron Bright as the Volturi vampire Alec.

Fisher says he relied on the franchise's ardent fanbase to help him prepare for the role of Vladimir, noting that followers of the original book series by Stephenie Meyer stocked the Internet with plenty of background information.

"The first thing I did was go to a bunch of fan sites and they have a really detailed history about Vladimir and the Romanian coven," he says.

"I've been lucky to just kind of be swept up in the kind of overall kind of love that they have for the characters in the book and how much they know about the books and love these books."

Fisher says director Bill Condon made a point of injecting a bit of humour into the final chapter through Vladimir — a vengeful immortal who was part of an ancient clan nearly wiped out by the power-hungry Volturi.

"The Romanians are obviously very bitter and have a very, very deep-rooted hatred for the Volturi so we're just kind of there because we're looking for a fight," he says of his character's decision to help the Cullens defend Renesmee.

"Bill Condon really wanted to add a very unique thing with these characters and in a funny way we kind of bring some lightness to it because we're a little on the snobby side," he adds.

"We were kind of the ruling vampire class and so we actually get to bring a little bit of levity to it."

At 28, Fisher has already established himself as one of TV's most versatile young actors, thanks to memorable roles as a teen con artist on HBO's acclaimed drama "The Riches," a mentally challenged Hatfield in "Hatfields & McCoys" and a violent, closeted bully in Showtime's "Shameless."

Despite his extensive recent credits, Fisher says the "Twilight" gig brought him back to his hometown Vancouver for the first time in a long while.

"It's actually the first time I've ever gone back to shoot something in Vancouver since I've been in LA. which was really exciting. I was at a hotel downtown that was literally three blocks from my sister's apartment, so that was awesome."

Fisher — whose been acting since he was 14 — says he moved to L.A. the year after high school and credits his big break to the Hank Azaria series "Huff." That was followed by "The Riches," which cemented his move to Los Angeles.

"I want to be known as an actor who challenges himself and that's kind of what I try and do," he says of his diverse resume.

"If I look at any actors I really admire or directors or writers or really any kind of artists I admire, that's something that they made a key component of how they live their lives."

Fisher says he's looking forward to Season 3 of "Shameless," which he describes as "the first two seasons on steroids."

He says fans will learn a lot more about his troubled character Mickey Milkovich.

"I was really really lucky, the creators of 'Shameless' decided to bring me on board as a regular and kind of explore Mickey Milkovich a little bit more," he says Fisher, whose first acting gig was in the CBC-TV movie "The Sheldon Kennedy Story" in 1999.

"I'm just so lucky about that because he's such a fun character to play and the writing on that show is just outstanding and getting to act alongside people like William H. Macy, Joan Cusack and Emmy Rossum."

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